Tanzania’s Zebedayo Bayo (2:16:59) wins the 2003 Athens Marathon (© Intime)
Tanzania’s Zebedayo Bayo (2:16:59) and Nadja Wijenberg of the Netherlands (2:43:18) were the winners of the 21st edition of the Athens Classic Marathon which today was run over next year’s Olympic Marathon course.
Men
The last time that Stephen Rugut ran the Athens Classic Marathon two years ago, there was a flash flood at the start, and he dropped out shortly afterwards. The Kenyan lasted the whole course this time, leading most of the way on Sunday morning but when Zebedayo Bayo of Tanzania poured on the pace in the last kilometre, Rugut had to give best.
Bayo, won in 2:16:59, with Rugut second in 2.17.06, and another Kenyan Elias Chebet third in 2.18.22.
The temperatures rose to 25 degrees centigrade at the finish, to add to the difficulty of the course, which rises and falls, but most rises from the ancient site at Marathon - which gives the race its name - to the marble Panathenaikon Stadium, built in Athens for the 1896 Olympics.
"It's a very tough course," said Bayo, "the toughest I've ever run. But I was able to kick away at the end, I enjoyed that". Testament to the difficulty of the course - a warning to runners in next year's Olympic race - is that Bayo's time is just over eight minutes slower than his best of 2.08.51, set when finishing third in New York five years ago.
Christos Vardzakis' memory goes back a little longer. Vardzakis, aged 93 won two Balkan and four Greek marathon titles back in the 1930s. He was due to run the accompanying 10k race yesterday, but after an injury had to be content watching his protegé, Nikos Polias win his seventh national marathon title, in 2.23.16. "But I'll be back to run the 10k next year," promised Vardzakis.
Women
Nadja Wijenberg set out on a hard training run on Sunday morning, and ended up winning in 2:43.18. Wijenberg, 39 wants to run for the Netherlands in the Olympic Games marathon next year, so she came to Athens two days ago to do a reconnaissance of one of the toughest courses in the world.
"She intended to do a hard training run, just to 32 kilometres," explained husband Ger, "but at exactly 32k, she passed the race leader". That was race favourite, Margaret Karie of Kenya, who was beginning to suffer from the heat and humidity, as well as the brutal hills between Marathon and Athens.
"I felt good, so I decided to keep going," said Nadja in heavily accented English, for she is a former Russian marathoner, from the Chubasa region, some 800 kilometres east of Moscow. Her maiden name was Ilyina, and in that guise, she ran here in Athens in the 1995 World Cup, and finished eighth.
But a race in the Netherlands the previous year had decided her future. "I was a spectator at a race where she ran," said Ger, "and she got stuck in some tapes right in front of me. I freed her, but have kept hold of her ever since".
The pair got married, and Nadja acquired Dutch citizenship in 1999, the year she also won the Dutch marathon title for the first time, with a personal best of 2.28.45 in Eindhoven. She ran 2.43.18.
"The federation has said that it requires either a good performance or a new sub-2.30 to get selected," explained Ger. "We hope they will accept this, otherwise Nadja will run in Rotterdam". That at least is on a fast, flat course next April.
Men
1. Zerebayo Bavo (TAN) 2:16:59,
2. Stephen Rugut (KEN) 2:17:06,
3. Elias Chebet (KEN) 2:18:22,
4. Frederick Chumba (KEN) 2:18:33,
5. Paul Atudonyang (KEN) 2:19:30
Women
1. Nadja Wijenberg (NED) 2:43:18,
2. Giorgia Ampatzidou (GRE) 2:46:47,
3. Margaret Karie (KEN) 2:48:48,
4. Magda Karimali (GRE) 2:55:25,
5. Magdaleni Gazea (GRE) 2:55:50,
6. Chiemi Oana (JPN) 2:58.29
